TURIN: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has described Italian football’s infrastructure as terrible and by far the worst among Europe’s top five leagues.

In an interview with SportMediaset published on Tuesday, Ceferin was asked about the San Siro Stadiums rejected bid to host the Champions League final and the ongoing discussions about plans for a new stadium in Milan.

“Italy’s football infrastructure is a shame. You are one of the biggest footballing countries, you’ve won many World Cups, Euros, Champions Leagues. At the same time among the big countries you have by far the worst infrastructure,” Ceferin said.

“To be honest, I’m a bit tired of these Italian discussions about infrastructure, because all we see is discussions,” the Slovenian added.

“The clubs need help from the government, they need help from municipalities. Private investors will invest. It’s time to do something, because the infrastructure is terrible.”

Milan’s San Siro is set to stage the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. Italy will co-host the 2032 men’s European Championship with Turkey.

“I’m not worried yet (about the Euros). I think that now, the government has understood that it has to do something,” Ceferin said.

“I have a lot of confidence in Gabriele Gravina, who is my first vice-President. He will do everything he can to close the gap.”

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2025